Bulgarian citizenship for Russians in 2026
An EU passport without moving or an exam - if a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent was Bulgarian. Who can apply, the steps, a fee of about $175 and why the Russian passport is kept.
In short
- The main route is Bulgarian origin: a Bulgarian parent, grandparent or great-grandparent.
- No move, no language exam and no renunciation of the Russian passport.
- The fee is about $175 per adult; with archives the path usually takes 1-2 years.
- There is no passport for investment, and naturalization requires leaving Russian citizenship.
In detail
In 2026 a Russian citizen can realistically get a Bulgarian passport one way - by Bulgarian origin. If your parent, grandparent or great-grandparent was Bulgarian, the law requires neither living in the country, nor a language exam, nor giving up the Russian passport. Bulgaria has no passport for investment, and regular naturalization takes years and requires leaving Russian citizenship. The programme is detailed on our Bulgarian citizenship by origin page.
Which Russians can get Bulgarian citizenship
| Route | Who | Living in Bulgaria | Russian passport |
|---|---|---|---|
| By Bulgarian origin | descendants of Bulgarians up to a great-grandparent | not required | kept |
| Through marriage | spouses of Bulgarian citizens after 3 years of marriage | 3 years with a permanent or long-term residence permit | kept |
| Regular naturalization | other foreigners | from 5 years with a permanent residence permit | renunciation required |
| By investment | no programme | - | - |
Bulgarian roots among Russians are more common than it seems: in the 19th century Bulgarians settled in large numbers in Bessarabia and Taurida, and their descendants live today in Russia, Ukraine and Moldova. Surnames ending in -ov and -ev in the family are not proof yet, but a reason to search the archives.
How to get Bulgarian citizenship by origin: step by step
- Find an ancestor of Bulgarian origin and documents confirming it: archive, church or civil records with their name.
- Collect the chain of kinship: birth, marriage and name change certificates in every generation and a criminal record certificate. Documents are translated into Bulgarian and legalised.
- Apply in person at the Ministry of Justice in Sofia or at a Bulgarian embassy or consulate, where an interview is held.
- Receive the opinion on origin from the consultative council at the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad - within two months.
- Wait for the presidential decree. By law the Minister of Justice submits a proposal within 9 months, and citizenship arises on the day of the decree.
With archive searches and translations the path usually takes one to two years. The slow part is not the state's decision but a great-grandfather who registered himself in a parish book a century ago in his own way.
How much Bulgarian citizenship costs
The state fee for persons of Bulgarian origin is about $175 per adult, and about $60 for children under 18 and students under 26. For people not of Bulgarian origin the fee is several times higher, about $580. The total for one adult with roots starts from $175: this is the mandatory payment to the state. On top, depending on the number of documents and generations, come the certificate of Bulgarian origin, archive certificates, translations into Bulgarian and legalisation, plus trips to file and the passport after the decree. A detailed family calculation is in how much Bulgarian citizenship costs.
The fee is about $175, a gap in the family tree costs more
The law does not forbid applying for Bulgarian citizenship by origin on your own. But mistakes cost more than the fee: a marriage certificate missing in one generation, an ancestor's name written differently in different papers, an archive record that does not say he was Bulgarian. We search archives in Russia, Ukraine and Moldova, check the chain before filing, prepare translations into Bulgarian and legalisation and accompany you to the interview at the consulate.
The cost of support depends on the number of generations and the archive search; our manager in the chat will calculate it.
What a Bulgarian passport gives a Russian citizen
- EU citizenship: living, working, studying and doing business in any EU country, as well as Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, without visas or permits.
- Travel: 178 destinations without a prior visa, full Schengen since 2025; the USA requires a visa - details in visa-free countries with a Bulgarian passport.
- The euro since 1 January 2026 and some of the lowest taxes in the EU: income tax is 10%.
- Two passports legally: by origin the Russian passport is kept, and the second citizenship is notified to the Russian Interior Ministry within 60 days.
Without roots, the place to start is a residence permit: the options are on the Bulgarian residence permit page. The road to a passport through naturalization is long and requires leaving Russian citizenship.
Why applications are refused
- The documents do not link the generations: a birth or marriage certificate is missing from the chain.
- The ancestor's name or surname is written differently in different papers.
- The documents do not show that the ancestor was of Bulgarian origin.
How we help
The law does not forbid applying for Bulgarian citizenship by origin on your own. But mistakes cost more than the fee: a gap in the chain of documents, different spellings of the ancestor's surname, an archive record with no mention of Bulgarian origin. Murblz specialists check the family tree before filing, search archives in Russia, Ukraine and Moldova, prepare translations and legalisation and handle the application until the presidential decree. Our manager in the chat will calculate the cost of support.
Bulgarian citizenship by origin
Who counts as Bulgarian, documents and timelines.
Learn more →Bulgarian residence permit
If you have no roots: grounds for moving.
Learn more →Which second passport suits you
A two-minute test for your situation.
Learn more →We will check your Bulgarian roots. Tell us where your ancestors came from and which documents survive. We will say whether you have a ground and which archives to start with.
FAQ
How can a Russian citizen get Bulgarian citizenship?
Do you have to give up Russian citizenship?
Can you get Bulgarian citizenship by investment?
How long does a Bulgarian passport by origin take?
Don’t want to figure this out alone?
We handle the whole process end to end: we check your documents, match a program to your situation and give you honest timelines and costs. Ask your question in the chat: the free consultation starts right here. Legal representation before authorities and courts is handled by Murblz specialists together with locally licensed partners.
The Murblz consultant replies straight away in the chat on this page. Describe your situation and we will work it out together.
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